In my practice representing developers and landowners, I routinely review dozens if not more, of development agreements over the course of a year. Without question, the most complained about aspect of virtually all such agreements, by a wide margin, is the extent of fees being imposed by a given city. Municipal fees are the runaway
Hollydale Golf Course: The Complex Road to Redevelopment Approval
The redevelopment of any large land area can be very difficult to accomplish, especially when it is surrounded by homeowners who like the status quo. This is especially true when the conversion involves a golf course: pastoral, quiet, well-landscaped (maybe a few stray golf balls). The surrounding landowners (most often homeowners) understandably love the open
Larkin Hoffman Ranked Highly for Real Estate and Construction by Chambers USA
Larkin Hoffman was recognized as a leading real estate firm in the 2021 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, an annual guide identifying the top attorneys and firms in the United States. The publication also recognized five of the firm’s attorneys as leaders in their fields.
Real Estate
Chambers notes that
Health Care Facility Development: Navigating Uncharted Waters
The impact of the COVID pandemic is far-reaching, upending the norms of operation for businesses and families around the world. I recently moderated the Bisnow webinar panel Minneapolis Health Care Update which included developers of health care facilities. The panel confirmed that the impact on the health care provider community has been especially significant and
The State of Retail
The state of retail in Minnesota and around the country is a huge question-mark. The obvious effect of the ongoing COVID restrictions has delivered an unwelcome shock to the operations of even the very best brick and mortar retailers. Nobody can say with confidence when the cloud of uncertainty around COVID and the restrictions on
Land Development: Not for the Faint of Heart
Anyone experienced with developing land realizes that the regulatory process one must complete for a given development is daunting, at once complicated and cumbersome and surely expensive. I often tell landowners who want to become “developers” in order to capture more value in the price of their land, that it is not for the faint
Twin Cities Multi-Family and Industrial Sectors Remain Strong
Last week I moderated an online forum in which three recognized experts in various segments of the real estate industry shared their respective crystal balls as we close out 2020 and look ahead to 2021. The panelists included Tim Elam, Managing Director, Scannell Properties, James Freytag, SVP, CBRE, and Gretchen Camp, Principal, ESG. Each panelist
The Twin Cities Commercial Real Estate Market: What Does the Future Hold?
The United States is now more than 10 months into responding to the COVID-19 health care crisis. Minnesota has been grappling with it in earnest since at least March 2020 when Gov. Tim Walz initiated a series of executive orders designed to stem the spread of the disease until testing and/or a vaccine can be
Who’s Paying the Price for Gov. Walz’s Eviction Moratorium?
We are nearly 9 months into the so-called COVID-19 global pandemic. While not without historical precedent, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the physical and economic health of millions both within the United States and around the world. In Minnesota and across the country, governors and their public health departments have exercised “peacetime” emergency powers designed
How Far Can the Governor Go On His Own? Part 2
Recently I commented on a growing level of concern regarding Gov. Tim Walz’s use of his statutory public safety “emergency” authority to promulgate wide-ranging and consequential executive orders affecting the state’s economy and citizens. While many groups, including health care and service organizations, were required to suspend their operations for at least two months, the